Key consumer, marketing and media trends in the Irish market.

1. Consumer &
Media Trends
2017
Core Strategy Division

2. Introduction
Ireland finds itself caught between two
seismic global changes.
Brexit and the Trump presidency will
progress, but their impact is impossible to
predict. We’re being hit by two storms: one
economic, one political.
The economic fallout from the UK leaving the
EU and the US’s dealings with Europe and the
world are impossible to predict.

3. Introduction
We can expect
to see shifts in
consumer
action.
Alongside this, the dynamics that gave
birth to Brexit and Trump sit against a
backdrop of mistrust in traditional
organisations.
The outcomes of these are uncertain, and
so uncertainty will be the theme of 2017.
Yet we are already seeing a vibrancy and
fervour as we begin to question and seek
out alternatives.

4. We think there are three major
trends worth keeping an eye on
in 2017:
• Noise-cancelling consumers
• The rise of direct selling
• The evolution of money

5. 1.
Noise-cancelling
consumers

6. Noise-cancelling consumers
No one needs your brand, unless your brand
can fulfill a need, a want, or a desire. This is
the defining reality of 21st century
marketing.
A Core Media tracking study suggests that the
average Irish person is exposed around 370
ads a day, and that figure is rising. Amid so
much noise, it is becoming increasingly
difficult for advertising to cut through.

7. Noise-cancelling consumers
This presents advertisers with a choice. They
can buy their way through the din, or stand-
out by meeting a need, a want or a desire.
That need can be met with communications
or with product development, but it must be
based on genuine consumer insight, and
must be delivered in an emotionally powerful
way.

8. We have identified three ways
brands can cut through the
clutter.
• Creative technology
• New occasions
• Culture as a channel

9. Creative technology
In 2013, their CEO Jeff Bezos
announced that Amazon Prime Air
would deliver parcels directly to
customers by drone within 30
minutes.
While the reality is still years away,
the initiative helped Amazon cut
through the clutter by talking about
their cutting edge technology, in
turn, generated mountains of
earned media and creating a new,
compelling way to talk about the
brand as the best way to shop.

10. New occasions
Danish brand, Marabou, were
experiencing flagging sales due to
changing consumer attitudes and a
new sugar tax. They realised people
needed an occasion to justify eating
chocolate. In response, they
created new packaging imprinted
with 6,000 different ways to say
sorry, achieving huge social media
engagement. The campaign
resulted in a 24% uplift in sales of
Marabou.

11. Culture as a channel
In 2009, healthier attitudes to food
meant Snickers was losing market
share and they needed to pursue
brand ‘fame’ as a way out of this.
Built on the insight, ‘you’re not you
when you’re hungry’, they built a
creative platform to build powerful
cultural resonance. By creating
comedic scenes with much-loved
stars of yesteryear, they tapped
into the cultural zeitgeist, achieving
‘cultural equity’ and sales growth.

12. So what?
Cutting through clutter means meeting
consumers’ needs & wants in unexpected
ways
This means creating your own ‘cultural real-estate’ that
resonates with consumers with the deliberate intent of
becoming a meaningful part of their lives and social
relationships.
Check out our Slideshare for more.

13. 2.
The rise of
direct-selling

14. The rise of direct-selling
How we buy our goods is evolving. In 2017, will see
more direct to consumer selling and delivery. Three big
changes will drive this.
Firstly, there is huge growth in the digital marketplace.
People can browse, evaluate and buy via computer,
phone, and even TV. They no longer need a store as a
shop window for goods.

15. The rise of direct-selling
Secondly, growth in the development and flexibility of
the delivery sector means companies like Amazon, Parcel
Motel, An Post are making it easier for people to receive
delivered goods more frequently.
Thirdly, flexible working hours and an increased ability to
work from home makes delivery more practical for
grocery shopping. It also facilitates newer subscription
models for regularly used goods.
We look at some brands doing this exceptionally well.

16. Warby Parker
Disruptive eyewear brand provides
a mail-order opticians offering
affordable, fashionable prescription
eyewear. Their insight was in
understanding the barriers to
people buying glasses online. By
posting out five free pairs of glasses
to try on, paying for eye testing,
and creating a simple and attractive
purchase experience, they proved
opticians don’t have to be brick and
mortar.

17. Bonobos
This male apparel retailer, began
life entirely online, but they
realised their digital-native brand
needed a physical presence.
Bonobos has created a network of
‘Guideshops’ where customers can
try on Bonobos’ products, get the
right fit, and experience the brand,
but they must still order online.
Bonobos is blurring online and
offline, and redefining what a shop
is.

18. MyMilkman.ie
Through MyMilkman.ie, Glanbia
applied the Dollar Shave Club
philosophy to the dairy category.
Effectively your traditional milkman
re-booted, MyMilkman.ie provides
a simple platform to enable people
to manage their milk delivery
service from any device. Like Dollar
Shave Club, Glanbia bypasses their
competition by entirely owning
their sales channel, in turn
removing the need for consumers
to consider buying any other milk
brand.

19. So what?
Adopting direct-selling early is becoming a
powerful strategic advantage
Retail spaces are evolving and blurring. Whether at home, online or in a
retail space, it is becoming more important to provide different ways to pay.
This can be a tactical or strategic way to block or bypass competitors. More
importantly, it is a way to appeal to Millennials and Generation-Z who
increasingly expect brands to understand their needs and to provide them
with unique, meaningful and tangible solutions.
Check out our Slideshare for more.

20. 3.
The evolution of
money accelerates

21. The evolution of money
In 2017, two major milestones will be reached.
With the launch of Android Pay late last year and Apple
Pay this March, 2017 will be Ireland’s year of the mobile
wallet.
On top of this, the eldest members of Generation-Z will
turn 21, marking the coming of age of Ireland’s newest
and most enigmatic generation.

22. The evolution of money
While Millennials have been the focus of marketers for
some time, Generation-Z are the true digital natives and
far more open to doing things differently than their
predecessors.
And marketers get used to the idea of the omni-channel
shopper, Gen-Z expect to to move seamlessly across
online and offline environments and payment channels.

23. Engaging new audiences & occasions
We will start seeing a merging
of media channels and
payment channels as
interactions between
consumers and brands become
even richer.

24. Starbuck’s Mobile Wallet
Starbucks’ mobile wallet integrates
the ability to pay with a
smartphone with instantly
redeemable MyStarbucks Rewards
and extra features and benefits like
pre-ordering coffees for collection.
By creating an owned payment
channel and virtual currency, the
Starbucks’ mobile wallet has
proved to be an incredibly powerful
branding tool and new kind of
payment/media channel.

25. McDonald’s Coinoffers
Blending virtual currencies with
gamification techniques is
becoming important way to
connect with younger audiences. In
Denmark, McDonald’s created its
own gamified currency, Coins,
which young, cash-strapped
customers would earn by
competing against friends and then
redeem at McDonald’s outlets,
increasing overall customer
frequency and spend among this
hard-to-reach audience.

26. Amazon Dash
It has been estimated that there
will be 21 billion connected devices
worldwide by 2025. With the
advance of the so-called ‘internet
of things’, it seems technology can
now convert anything into a
payment trigger. Connected to the
internet, Amazon’s Dash button lets
consumers order shopping items
literally at the push of a button.
Apart from providing utility for
consumers, these new payment
mechanisms provide brands with a
new kind of sales channel.

27. Nike+ Bid Your Sweat
Taking this a step further, some
brands are combining both virtual
currencies and gamification
techniques. With fitness and health
tracking a rapidly growing trend –
European sales of Fitbit devices are
growing 46% annually – in Mexico,
Nike+ let fans use their health app
data – their ‘sweat’ – as currency to
bid on exclusive Nike products, and
becoming a kind of media channel
driving brand engagement.

28. So what?
Marketers will need to start
preparing now.
Irish consumers have proven themselves to be rapid adopters
of new technologies in the past – as with Facebook and
contactless cards, adoption can be slow at first, but takes off
rapidly once a tipping point is reached.
2017 will be the year marketers and retailers must start looking
seriously at Generation-Z and this hidden tipping point or risk
losing out.
Check out our Slideshare for more.

29. Interested in
learning more?
Contact us.
Thomas Geoghegan
Shane Doyle
Andy Pierce
16 Sir John Rogerson's Quay
Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel : +353 1 649 6316
Email: info@coremedia.ie